Taylor had six months to go on a deal signed last year calling for him to leave the district at the end of the school year. Tuesday's vote granting his request for academic leave essentially ends Taylor's day-to-day involvement. He'll use vacation and sick days to cover some of the time, but also forfeits about $30,000 in pay.

Board of Education member Maureen Slade said Wednesday that Taylor is not obligated to report back to the board about what he did during the academic leave.

“We don't expect anything,” Slade said. “This is his study time for himself, and he can do what he wants.”

A spokeswoman for the Michigan Association of School Boards, an support and advocacy group, said staff members are familiar with university professors being offered sabbaticals that could be called academic leave, but said they've never heard it used for a superintendent.

But William Mayes, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators, said such a move happens “on occasion, primarily in larger districts.”

“The key point to remember is that both the board and Dr. Taylor have agreed that this was best for the district in making a transition,” he said. “Dr. Taylor and the board have honored Dr. Taylor's contract and have reached a positive way move on. It truly is about what is best for all involved.”

Taylor has had a sometimes stormy relationship with his teachers union, and sometimes with his school board, which last year became dominated by union-endorsed candidates.

Board members agreed to the severance package after Taylor became a finalist for the top job in several other districts. Staff members said Taylor has remained engaged in the district's operations despite the job searches and the departure deal.

But county school leaders said sometimes it's better for districts to move forward with an interim superintendent rather than working with someone planning to leave.

The Kent Intermediate School District has been assisting Grand Rapids with the search for Taylor's replacement. Assistant Superintendent Ron Koehler said the term academic leave might be unusual, but said it's not uncommon for sides to cut short an expected prolonged departure.

Koehler said he couldn't comment on the relationship between Taylor and the school board, “but in general, boards and superintendents sometimes decide it is better to part ways rather than have someone remain. To have someone on the job during the search to replace him can sometimes be counterproductive.”

Former school board member Jim Rinck witnessed the transition between several district superintendents, including an in-house candidate serving as interim superintendent during a search. But he called the initial decision to retain Taylor while looking to replace him “an odd one.”

“The problem with being a lame duck is that, well, you're a lame duck,” he said. “People stop taking you seriously and it's hard to get things done.”

Rinck was an initial Taylor supporter, but resigned after more than a decade on the board after he became frustrated.

He said the previous board's decision to extend Taylor's contract created the situation leading to an expensive severance package, calling the move “irresponsible.”

Assistant Superintendent Teresa Neal, a Grand Rapids native who has worked for the district her entire career, has been given the job on an interim basis. Neal said Wednesday she has not decided whether she will be a candidate for the post.